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It feels like an age-old debate with leaders: Why job titles truly matter. It’s common to hear statements like, “It doesn’t matter what you call me, as long as I know what I’m supposed to be doing.” And for those in top leadership positions, that sentiment may be valid — everyone already knows they’re in charge. Their authority is visible, their influence undisputed.
However, for the general employee and career progression, titles carry weight.
There is a meaningful distinction between a director-level position and a manager-level position. These titles don’t just reflect hierarchy. They signal responsibility, experience and, often, compensation. The gap in pay, expectations and perceived value between those titles can be significant.
Even more pronounced is the difference between line-level staff and those designated as a “lead” or “supervisor.” These aren’t vanity labels; they define roles, expectations and the level of autonomy an employee has within the organization.
Organizational design is built on structure, and job titles are a key part of that structure. Clear differentiation between roles helps define accountability, fosters clarity of purpose, and enables effective communication, both up and down the hierarchy.
According to our 2025 Workforce Trends in Golf, job promotion and advancement was one of the top reasons to stay in a job. While senior management may not value this, clearly it signals reward, recognition and career growth.
Titles also play a critical role in career progression. When someone is ready for the next step, their current title is often the first thing a hiring manager sees. If an assistant-in-training is performing the duties of an assistant superintendent but doesn’t hold the title, it’s a harder sell to a future employer. Similarly, if a senior assistant is effectively managing a golf course but holds no formal superintendent title, they’re likely to be overlooked for the next big opportunity.
Beyond internal dynamics, titles are the benchmark for compensation. For example, the difference in salary between a senior assistant and a superintendent is a significant annual amount. Failing to give someone the right title, despite their responsibilities, means undervaluing their contributions, both in perception and in pay.
In a number of our search projects, we work with hiring managers to define the scope of the role and responsibilities. Often, hiring managers cannot distinguish between senior management and entry management, and by default label the position an “assistant superintendent.” Once individuals are onboarded and into the job, there’s a significant gap in skills and experience in the role. Neither party is happy — and often left frustrated because of misaligned expectations.
Clearly, titles have increasingly been used as a reactive measure — created or inflated as a last-ditch effort to attract and retain talent amid the recent labor shortages and lack of flexible compensation structures. Rather than being thoughtfully aligned with role responsibilities, organizational structure, or long-term career progression, these titles are often granted to appease internal dissatisfaction or to compete with market noise.
Just because you don’t mind being called “whatever they want,” doesn’t mean that others don’t take pride in a hard-earned title. They may wear that title as a badge of honor, a symbol of the years of work, learning and leadership it took to get there.
Titles aren’t just labels — they’re leverage. They influence perception, compensation and credibility. Dismissing them as “just words” overlooks the pride and professionalism tied to them.
Ironically, we often engage with candidates who discuss the value of the GCSAA classification system: Certified Golf Course Superintendent, Class A and Class B.
Both in theory and practice, these reflect professionalism and progression. But in practice? Many superintendents still can’t tell you what status they hold — or what it means in the eyes of a board, a general manager, a hiring committee, or access to major golf events like the Masters. Outside of achieving certified status, the distinctions between Class A and Class B remain vague, both to the professionals themselves and the people making the hiring decisions.
Worse, we’ve created a tiered structure where only one designation — certified — has real visibility, while the others feel more like bureaucratic labels to drive membership enrollment and engagement than meaningful distinctions.
That ambiguity raises a real question: Do these classifications shape perception and influence hiring and promotional decisions the way they’re intended to? The answer: only when they’re explained, contextualized and aligned with a club’s expectations.
While it is difficult to standardize every club and superintendent position in the same box, it would be a step forward to leverage credentials with the same clarity and credibility as those offered by the CMAA and PGA.
These organizations have established professional designations that not only signal a high standard of competency and commitment but also help employers, boards and peers easily understand a professional’s qualifications and career progression. Most important, those credentials elevate the credibility of the individuals.
Imagine a world where superintendents, assistants and technicians have access to a clearly defined, nationally recognized pathway for growth — one that communicates leadership ability, agronomic expertise and business acumen, much like the PGA’s Class A Member or the CMAA’s Certified Club Manager designations.
This kind of structure would elevate the perception of golf course management, provide a more objective basis for hiring and compensation, and reinforce the superintendent’s role as a vital member of the club’s executive team.
So, yes, titles matter, but not in isolation. They matter when they reflect capability, when they’re part of a credible system, and when decision-makers understand their significance.
A more strategic approach is to align titles with clear competencies, performance benchmarks and progression pathways. Done well, a title should be earned — not negotiated or inflated — and serve as a transparent signal of capability, responsibility and real leadership pathways.
Let’s stop pretending titles don’t matter. Let’s fix the system so they actually do.
Tyler Bloom is the founder of Bloom Golf Partners. Rachel Ridgeway is a search executive and HR consultant with Bloom Golf Partners.
